The Man with the Topaz Eyes
by Honorable Scythe Griswold
Summary: Leela Hunt was a Registered Nurse who always knew what she wanted to do with her life and accomplished her goals. When Leela goes back to school for her master's degree, she ends up taking a class who's professor is a pale man with topaz eyes. He's a tall handsome stranger, but somehow Leela finds herself drawn to him. The only question is why?
1. Chapter 1: Welcome Back to Forks

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All credits go to the rightful owner.**

Chapter 1: Welcome Back to Forks

It was a crisp and dry July day. Leela Hunt was making her trip back to her mother's home in Forks, Washington. After her parents officially split, it had become the normal to go to her fathers for summer and mothers for the rest of the year.

Although now, she just does it out of sympathy for her father. The rules for parental visits dropped once she had turned 18. Now she was a 24-year-old registered nurse, fresh out of college.

Leela drove up her mother's driveway in her white Kia Optima, a car that has been reliable to her since she was 16. Her mother ran outside as Leela turned her car off.

"Mom!" Leela smiled and embraced her mother tightly.

"Leela it's been forever without you!" Her mother giggled and squeezed her daughter.

"You say the same thing every time I come home from Dads!" Leela let her mother go and popped her cars trunk. Grabbing her suitcase and rolling alongside her, she walks into her mother's house with her mother trailing behind.

"You've changed the rug?!" Leela gasps in surprise.

"Well I got bored. So, I started to watch the HGTV channel and it gave me some new ideas about home décor and renovations." Her mother gushed.

Leela laughs before picking her suitcase up and heading upstairs towards her bedroom. Her room was small, it contained a full bed that was covered in soft jersey knit white sheets with her black comforter, a small packed bookshelf, and a neat desk with old nursing school textbooks piled on its left side. Her bathroom door stood to the left of her bed. There were three windows, one behind her bed and two to the right of her bed, in front of her desk.

Once in her room, she let out a sigh of relief. Leela was nervous because she needed to think about how she was going to break the news to her mother about moving out and going back to college for her master's degree.

Quickly, she unpacked her suitcase and took a shower and changed into some comfy fleece pajamas. She did not miss how cold Forks was.

-Time Skip-

It's been about a week and Leela has adjusted back to her normal life. Currently, she was enrolling into college classes on her laptop and thinking about ways to tell her mother that she was going back to school. Her mother would not disapprove of going back to school, in fact she would offer to pay for her to go back, but Leela knew her mother. If she let her mother pay for her classes, and she would insist, then it would be under her mother's terms and Leela did not need that on her conscious.

Leela had worked in Utah as a seasonal worker in her father's town hospital. The money earned, she saved specifically for her classes and textbooks.

Leela had been working in hospitals for about 2 years now, so she had quite a lot of money saved. This money she wanted to use for moving into her first apartment.

After enrolling into the classes for her master's degree, Leela headed downstairs to see what her mother was cooking for dinner.

"What's for dinner?" Leela asked as she strode into her mother's small kitchen.

"Well it's honey spice chicken with green beans and roasted potatoes." Her mother chimed.

"It smells delicious." Leela smiled but quickly frowned. "Mom I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong dear?" Leela didn't know how to tell her mother her plans.

"I…. I was thinking a lot when I was at dads because there isn't a lot to do over there but work. And I… I think it's time I move out. I would like to move out." Leela spluttered out.

"That's a lot to think about honey." Her mother confided.

"I know. I researched a lot and budgeted the best I could and it's an opportunity that I want to take." Leela just ended up telling her mother everything because honesty was genuinely the easiest at this point.

"Well if you have budgeted and researched everything, then we should start looking for your ideal apartment." Her mother smiled a sad smile.

"Thanks mom. Don't worry, I'll visit every chance I get." Leela hugged her mother, happy tears falling. "There's one more thing."

"What?"

"I'm also going back to school." Leela said quickly.

"What? School? You can't move out and go to school. That's a lot of money!" Leela's mother said warily.

"It's ok. I told you, I budgeted everything. I made sure to set aside money for school too." Leela said, proud of herself for doing the adult thing.

"Well let me help you pay for some of it." Her Mom offered.

"No way! You've already given me everything I need Mom. You can't keep paying everything for me especially if I can afford it myself." Leela's defiant tone, put her mother a bit at ease.

"Ok well then you better eat my dinner I made tonight because it's the only thing I can still give you." Leela and her mother laughed.

When dinner was finished, and the dishes were done, Leela and her mother stayed up late watching the cooking channel. It was something they loved doing and was a sort of tradition every night. After watching Beat Bobby Flay, Leela retired for the night and headed up to her room.

She fell asleep, feeling much better about her exciting plans, now that her mother approved and knew what she wanted for her life.


	2. Chapter 2: The Professor

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All credit goes to the respectful owner.**

Chapter 2: The Professor

Fall semester has begun and Leela was a little bit overwhelmed. It had been a couple of years since she last went to school and she was a little anxious to be going back.

Her first day consisted of 3 classes, all of which were about 2 hours long. The last class of the day started in the evening around 7 pm. Leela made her way to class stopping by a couple of people she met in her previous classes to chat a little. She had some time before her class started, so it was the perfect opportunity to strengthen her friendships.

When it was close to 7 pm, Leela walked into the classroom and took her seat near the front, but not too close to the front. She didn't like being in the very front or in the middle, or back. She liked between the very front and middle.

As the clock hit exactly 7, the professor strode in with his portfolio for the class. He was pale, had blonde hair, and was handsome. He seemed like he was in his early 30's, maybe just turned 30 or 32. He wore a black suit with no tie and a white dress shirt. His eyes were a honey-butterscotch or topaz color. They were immensely gorgeous and very odd. Leela knew that those had to be contacts or something because they were not a normal eye color.

Immediately, the classroom hushed up and all the women were googly-eyed at their new professor. Leela was not one to gawk at handsome men or men she found attractive. She had respect for herself and the men she found attractive. So, she rolled her eyes and opened her laptop to take notes.

"Hello students. My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. You can call me Professor Carlisle, Professor Cullen, or Doctor Cullen. Whichever one suits you." He smiled a perfect white smile.

"Today we're going to dive right in so, I hope you have some materials with you that you can take notes on. I'll start with attendance." He spoke with gentleness as he logged into his school account and pulled up a PowerPoint. He began calling out names to which someone would answer if they were here.

"Leela Hunt." He called Leela's name and she gave the simple, "Here" answer.

Once all the names were called out and attendance was taken he set his portfolio down and looked up at all his students.

"A few rules. Attendance is mandatory, no drinks without a lid, do not ask me if you can go to the restroom. My answer would be to stare at you until you uncomfortably leave to go. You may go without asking me. Homework must be turned in on time otherwise it is considered late and will result in a full letter grade down. If there is a plausible reason for your work to be late I expect an email or call of explanation and from there I will determine if you get marked down. Those are my rules; the rest of the school rules are on the school's website. I don't have time to go over all of them." Dr. Cullen spoke with an excited smile. One that might have been considered a little, too enthusiastic.

"Ok. Does anyone have questions before we start?" The Doctor asked. One girl raised her hand.

"Yes?" He gestured to her.

"Are you like an actual Doctor or like one of those PHD Doctors?" Her eyebrow was furrowed with slight worry.

"I'm a Medical Doctor. I work in the local hospital during the day and I'm here during the nights." Professor Cullen answered.

"Are you a God?" Another girl giggled and raised her hand.

"If you're referring to the God complex most Doctors have, then no. If you're referring to my looks I would say no, although most people compare me to Gods. I don't understand why." He seemed quite puzzled.

"Are you married?" A brunette girl asked.

"What is this? 20 personal questions with your Professor?" The professor chuckled and responded, "No I'm not married."

"How old are you?" Asked a red-headed girl.

Professor Cullen frowned. "Does anyone have a realistic question for me?" All hands went down from there.

Leela rolled her eyes. She thought it was quite rude of her female classmates to ask him personal questions or ones that would make someone uncomfortable.

Slowly, Leela raised her hand. She had an actual question, unlike the former ones.

"Yes Miss…."

"Leela. I wanted to know if we actually need to buy the textbook for this class or not?" She put up a strong face, one that didn't ogle over the professor and one that meant she was serious about learning.

"Well Miss Leela, unfortunately you will need to buy the textbook. I know it's a bit pricey but, we will be using it a lot so, you will get your money's worth from it." Leela nodded in response and smiled before writing it down to remind her she needs to buy it.

"Ok if there are no more questions, we can now begin the class. If everyone will focus on the screen…" And with that the class started. Leela knew from the whole start of the class that she probably will have zero friends in the class or at least zero female friends.

Once class was over, it was around 8:45 in the evening. Leela waited in the long line to introduce herself to her professor before joining the long line out the door.

"Miss Leela." Doctor Cullen smiled.

"Hello Professor. I just wanted to formally introduce myself." Leela smiled and looked her Professor straight into his topaz eyes.

"Well it is nice to meet you. I look forward to having you in my class." He said.

"Thank you. I look forward to learning from you and being in your class." Leela responded.

"Thank you. Have a good night." He flashed his dazzling white smile. Leela quickly said goodbye and left.

Once she was out the door, she immediately ran into a group of the girls from her class who asked the professor all the rude questions.

"Hey Leela, right? I'm Jessie. What do you think about the professor?" The red-head asked her.

"Oh, um I think he's nice." Was all she could think of saying.

"I'm Shan. He's so hot right?" The brunette chimed in.

"Uh sure? I guess." Leela did find him attractive and hot but, she wasn't going to admit that to a bunch of college girls who were acting like young dumb school girls.

"I've got to go. I guess I'll see you all in class?" Leela quickly excused herself. Talking girly talk was not her thing. Gossiping too, was not her thing.

She made her way to her car and got in. Immediately, she turned the heat up a little as she was a little cold. After a 10-15-minute drive, she arrived back at her Mom's house. Her Mom's was only going to be Leela's house for another week or so. She had looked at apartments and found one close to her mother's, school, and the local hospital. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, A kitchen and a living room. It had a small front patio due to being on the first floor. The place allowed pets which was perfect because Leela wanted to eventually get a pet.

Tired, Leela made her way to her bedroom and checked if there was anything due for school, before crashing asleep in her bed. Too tired, she didn't even change out of her days clothes.


	3. Chapter 3: An Emotional Couple of Months

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything! All credit goes to the rightful owner.**

Chapter 3: An Emotional Couple of Months

It was the last weekend of August and Leela had packed the last of her boxes to move to her new apartment. She packed what she could fit into her car and drove halfway across the town to her new apartment. There she unloaded the boxes and started to place everything.

The first bedroom or the master bedroom she took as her sleeping area. The second room she converted into an office where she put all her bookshelves and her desk. Most of the kitchen and living room stuff, she still had to buy, but Leela didn't mind. At least she would be able to pick it all out herself. Things that would be to her liking and match her personality.

When all the boxes were unpacked, and homes were found for the items, Leela headed into town to go furniture shopping. She allowed her mother to come only under certain circumstances; which was to not annoy Leela and let her choose and spend the money she thought was necessary.

"How about this rug with the couch we bought in the last shop?" Leela inquired with her mother.

"I think it would look lovely dear. Should we also get a coffee table to go on top?" Her mother asked.

"That sounds like a great idea. I already have a vision of what kind of coffee table I would like." Leela smiled.

"Perfect! Let's buy this rug and start searching for the coffee table." Leela's mother smiled and helped her daughter bring the rug to the register.

"Find everything ok?" The cashier made small talk. He was broad, had a nice smile, Defined jaw and brown hair that was neatly brushed.

"Yes, we did thank you." Leela smiled as her mother nudged her and gave her a look. Leela rolled her eyes. This boy was way too young for her. Probably a junior or senior in high school.

After paying for the rug, the two women brought it out to the rental truck that Leela's mother rented to make the moving process easier. The couch was already in there, so they placed the rug in next to it.

After placing her new succulent plant on the glass coffee table in her living room, Leela wiped the sweat off her brow and smiled. Her mother and her had just finished moving everything into the new apartment. Leela hugged her mother, excited and happy to be done. Everything was unpacked and put into place. The second bedroom she decided to use for an office/study room.

Her new home was a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment that had a kitchen and living room. As a bonus it was on the first floor and had a small backyard and patio that was fenced if you had a pet.

"Thank you, Mom, so much for the help!" Leela smiled.

"Of course, honey. I'm so happy that you're happy. I'm also very proud and I love you so much!" Her mother squeezed her into a tight hug.

"I can't believe I did this!" Leela laughed. "Growing up all you think about is the day you'll be old enough to move out, how it will go, where you will go. It's weird now that the time has come. I'm going to miss living with you Mom. But mostly your food!" Both women laughed and hugged one another again.

"Well I guess I shall leave you to rest. Grab a shower and go to bed early. You have class tomorrow." Her mother chuckled as she hugged her daughter and waved as she went out the door.

Leela did as she was told and grabbed a shower. But she stayed up watching a little bit of television before going to bed. She was a little unsettled by the emptiness and new space that her apartment had.

It was the last month or so of fall semester. Leela had gotten used to being in her apartment alone. Occasionally she would visit her mother, have dinner with her or go out to lunch. She had run into her professor, Doctor Cullen quite a few times and she even stayed after class to talk to him. Most of their talks were about homework or a class assignment but sometimes it would be about something going on in either one's life.

"Doctor Cullen. I have a question. May I ask it?" Leela was always polite to her professor.

"Of course." Doctor Cullen smiled. He didn't mind questions from Leela because they were actual questions that weren't a bother.

"If the appendix holds and stores good bacteria, why do people think it's useless?" Leela couldn't understand why people thought that.

"Well it depends. Some people know that it holds bacteria. But the crazy ones think that it is just an evolutionary organ that we no longer need." Doctor Cullen smiles. "By the way, you can call me Carlisle. Class is over." His white smile and words threw Leela off.

"Oh ok. Thanks, I guess." Leela didn't really know what to say after that.

"So, I overheard in the hospital that we're going to start opening up for intern applications. Obviously, you'll have to apply and see if you're accepted, but I figured maybe it would be something you want to do. It's a paid internship, too." Carlisle spoke softly. There was something about him that Leela was attracted to and it wasn't his good looks or kind personality.

"That sounds great." Leela smiled. "Where do I get the application?"

"Well lucky for you, I snatched one before all of them were taken." Carlisle pulled two papers out that were stapled together. "Here you go." He smiled.

"Wow well thank you Doc- Carlisle. I appreciate it a lot." Leela smiled but turned red as Carlisle leaned against his desk closer to where she was standing.

"Well I should probably get going. It's getting late." She gave a quick smile.

"Of course. Have a good night Leela." Carlisle smiled as he stood straight and started to pack his papers. "Good luck with the application." He smiled.

Leela nodded and headed out the door. Once in her car, she looked over the application and smiled. She decided to fill it out and just see how it goes. If she was accepted, then she would be excited to work but if not, there were no hard feelings and she would be fine with not being accepted.

Leela turned her car on and pulled out of the school parking lot. Unlocking her apartment door, she walked in, kicked off her shoes, and set her bookbag down next to the door. She walked into her kitchen and quickly made a small sandwich that she gobbled down. After, she took a shower, brushed her teeth, and wished to fall asleep but she did not.

There was something about Doctor Carlisle Cullen that Leela did not understand. She didn't understand what her attraction to him was. Sure, he was handsome, wealthy, smart, fit, has a genuinely nice personality, but she didn't care about that. Well, she did, but this attraction wasn't about all those characteristics about him. It was something different, deeper.

Leela couldn't remember ever falling asleep, but when she did, her mind did not stray from the handsome blonde Doctor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: An Unfortunate Predicament**

Leela woke up the next morning bright and early. She checked her email, hoping to find any new email talking about the internship Doctor Cullen informed her about. Nothing. She shrugged and went to get showered and dressed. Then she went into her kitchen to make breakfast. Today she went for scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice. A simple but healthy meal.

When she was done, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and looked at her phone. Her Mom had sent her a few texts about an event happening in Seattle. Clicking on the link, she read what the event was about and where it was. As she read, she absent-mindedly placed her hand on the hot stove top and leaned.

"AAAHHH!" Leela through her phone on the counter and immediately ran for the sink. She ran cold water over her burned hand and analyzed it. Blisters started to form, which meant that it was a second degree burn. After running cold water on her hand, she grabbed an ice pack, held it, and grabbed her car keys. She slides her phone into her pocket, grabs her wallet, and heads for her car. Leela had quite a high pain tolerance, but this pain level was something she had never experienced before.

Carefully and slowly, Leela drove herself to the hospital. She parks, gets out and walks towards the front desk. The emergency room was packed for Forks.

"Hi, I'm Leela Hunt, I was wondering how long the wait is?" She asked the lady at the front desk. If the wait was too long, she would just go home and deal with it herself considering she was a nurse and capable of doing so.

"Honey, the wait is going to be hours. By the time you drive to a Seattle emergency room you'll be taken in before you get in here." The lady answered.

"Ok. Thank you." Leela gave her a smile which probably confused her more than anything and started to walk out.

"Leela?" She knew that voice anywhere. She turned around and was met by those honey eyes.

"Doctor Cullen." She stated.

"What are you doing here? Did you get accepted for the internship?" He asks.

"Uh no I didn't." She held up her hand holding the ice pack. "Um second degree burn." Leela was a little bit embarrassed.

Doctor Cullen's smile quickly turned to a frown. "Well that's not good. Come with me."

"Wait what about everyone else? They were here first." Leela questioned. Always putting others first, a nurse's intuition.

Doctor Cullen walked closer to Leela, "I don't care about them right now. I care about you. And how are you supposed to help me if your hand isn't taken care of?"

Leela's mouth opened just a little but nothing came out. Carlisle grabbed her unburned hand and dragged her towards the burn unit. There he looked at it, gently and tenderly rubbed some antibiotics on it, and wrapped it up.

"There! Good as new!" He smiled. There was something about his tone that made Leela think of a child who was proud of his artwork.

Leela laughed. "Thank you, Doctor Cullen."

"No problem. Can you move it a little?" He asks as he mimics with his own hand. Leela moves it a little but it hurt a lot. She guessed her face gave it away because Carlisle left and came back.

"Ok, give me one second." Doctor Cullen leaves and comes back with a needle and extra scrubs. He sterilizes a spot on Leela's arm and injects a painkiller. Leela winces a little, not because it hurt, but because he had extremely cold hands but at least they were soft.

"Alright. That should do the trick. It should kick in within 15 to 30 minutes. Now before you can object, go change in the locker rooms and meet me back in the ER." He throws the scrubs her way. "Locker room is down this hallway." He points before turning the other way. He was gone before she even turned around to object.

Leela sighs and walks down the hall. Lucky for her, she didn't have any plans today. She finds the locker room and quickly changes. She shoves her things into a locker far from everybody else's so that she didn't disturb the peace. Grabbing her phone, Leela left and headed back to the ER.

She spotted the familiar blonde from the other side of the room.

"Hey how did you get help before my daughter?! I've been here for 3 hours!" A man stands up and starts yelling at Leela. Leela was small compared to him. He was standing at 6'3" and she was 5'8".

"Sir if you could just calm down. We have an entire ER filled with people who need to be seen." Leela went into her nurse mode. Rude patients weren't new to her.

"No this is unacceptable! I have been here for 3 hours waiting for your slow ass doctors to check my daughter! You came in not even 10 minutes ago!" He started to make a scene. Doctor Cullen was watching but he didn't move from across the room.

"I'm sorry that you have been waiting so long, but our Doctors are working their hardest to get to everyone. Please sir, sit down or I can call security." Leela frowned.

"Security! Oh yeah that will be better! Do you even work here? Are you qualified to be here? I want to see your badge!" He demands. Leela goes pale as she literally just showed up and was asked to help.

"Actually sir. I do have a badge it's waiting for me in the office. Today's my first day here and my shift was supposed to start 2 hours from now, but I burned myself, so I came early." Leela lied.

"Right ok. Like I'm supposed to believe that! I'm not stupid bitch! You're not qualified to be here! You should be arrested for impersonating a nurse!" He spits out. Leela hadn't even noticed that Doctor Cullen had left the room until he showed up beside her.

"Here's your badge and clipboard. I'm going to give you the minor cases today, so that you can get used to the place. Any questions?" Doctor Cullen swooped in and basically saved Leela from this angry man.

"Just one. What do I do with him?" Leela pointed to the angry guy who was just showed up by Doctor Cullen and her.

"Sir I suggest you take a seat. If you would like to be helped, you'll just have to wait. I have 20 other people who need to be seen before your daughter. If you don't want to wait, you can take her to the Seattle hospital." Dr. Cullen smiles at the man before turning and guiding Leela away with his hand behind her back. When they were far enough away the two spoke.

"Well you took forever." Leela chuckled.

"I'm sorry, would you have liked to be caught in your lie instead?" Dr. Cullen laughed.

"No but you could've gone a little faster." Leela smiled and looked at the badge. "How did you get my picture for this?"

"It's in the medical databases." Dr. Cullen answered.

"Oh true." Leela facepalmed for her own stupidity. Dr. Cullen just laughed. Leela laughed with him. Working with him was very different than when she's his student. His character is so much livelier than when he's teaching.

"Alright come on. Let's get to work." Dr. Cullen smiled, and both set off to do what they do best.

-Time Skip-

Towards the end of the day, the ER was emptied out. The angry man took his daughter to the Seattle hospital. Leela had already gotten used to the hospital and knew exactly where to find things and places. She met up with Doctor Cullen back at his office.

"So how was your first day of interning?" Doctor Cullen asks her.

"It was great other than that angry man. What do you mean interning?" Leela asks confused.

"Well you know we only have 1 spot available for interning and a lot of people applied." He builds up suspense.

"Yeah but I didn't get accepted. Doesn't the board decide who's accepted for the internship? I never got an email of acceptance. I checked this morning."

"Yeah, sorry, I made you think that the board decides that." He continues.

"What they don't? Then who does?" She asks even more confused.

"I do." He smirks.

"But there are so many other people who need this internship or probably had a better application than me! Why me?"

"Leela. I watched you work all day today. That's all the proof I need." He smiles.

"You set me up!" She laughs.

"Um I believe you set yourself up. You're the one who walked into the ER this morning." He laughs back.

"I burned my hand!" Leela exclaims whilst laughing. Dr. Cullen just shrugs and smiles.

"Anyways that badge is your real badge and that clipboard you'll leave in the cubbies in the office and when you come back the next day, they'll have new cases." Dr. Cullen explains.

"Ok. Seems easy enough." Leela smiles.

"Your locker will have your name on it by tomorrow, so you'll just have to find it then, but otherwise you're good to go. Any questions?"

"A couple. Aren't you scared or nervous that people will start gossip because I'm your student and your intern? And don't I have to actually shadow you because it's an internship?" Leela asks.

"All good questions. I'm not scared or nervous because I don't really care what other people see us as. We both know that there isn't a romantic relationship between us and that's all that matters." He says. Leela was thrown off by how hurt his tone was when he said that. He continued to answer the second question.

"Technically yes, you are supposed to shadow me. But seeing as you're already a nurse and internship hours is just a part of your class grade, I don't think I need to be babying you around." He answers. Leela nods.

"Ok well. I should probably head home and get some rest before class tonight." Leela smiled.

"Oh, I cancelled class." Dr. Cullen spoke. "They need me for a few more hours so I'm going to stay and help out. So, no class."

"Ok then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow? What time?" Leela asks.

"What time do you want to come in?" Dr. Cullen asks.

"Uh 9 am?" Leela shrugged.

"Ok see you then." He smiled.

Leela made her way out and to her car. She drove home carefully due to her still burned hand. It would take some time for it to heal. She unlocked her apartment and dropped her stuff by her door. She threw her shoes off and plunked onto her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: The Slump

**Chapter 5: The Slump**

 **A/N: Hey everyone just a quick heads up, this chapter will focus more on Carlisle this time. It will still have Leela, but I haven't really described Carlisle's point of view. Also, Esme is not in this. She basically just doesn't exist in this fanfic. Hope you enjoy! Thanks!**

While Leela was asleep in her apartment, Carlisle sat in his office at the hospital completely in a slump. He had now entered the friend zone with Leela. It physically hurt his heart as he knew that she was his mate, his blood-singer, but she had no idea.

Earlier, he had said that if they knew there was no romantic relationship between them, they shouldn't care about the rumors. Now he regrets saying that, in fact he regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth.

Carlisle was excited to see her tomorrow, but he also thought that it wasn't worth it if she wasn't his to love. He got up from his desk chair, locked his office door, turned off the lights, and sat back into his chair. He sighed and started to work on all the papers and files he hadn't done earlier.

-Time Skip-

In the morning, Leela woke up, got ready, cleaned her burned hand and changed the wrap to a fresh one. Once she was ready, she grabbed her keys and ran out the door, excited to work. As she entered through the hospital's double doors, she read her emails. One particularly caught her eye. It read:

" **Hello class,**

 **As you all saw in the last email, I cancelled class. Today's class will also be cancelled due to personal reasons. There is no homework due, but you all must remember your internship hours count as a grade towards the end of this semester so, make sure you are all keeping track of them.**

 **Thanks,**

 **Dr. Carlisle Cullen"**

"Well that's weird." Leela mumbled as she neared the front desk.

"Hi, I'm here for my clipboard." Leela smiled at the front desk lady whose name tag read "Helen."

"Ok here you go, honey." Helen smiled and gave Leela her clipboard. Leela happily took it and started to make her way to Carlisle's office. When she got there, she knocked on the door but there was no answer.

Carlisle knew it was her by her scent, but he didn't want to answer because she friend zoned him, and she wouldn't see him as a lover. He hated how out of the entire family, he was the only one without a mate.

Leela knocked again thinking maybe he didn't hear her. No answer. Leela shrugged and thought maybe he had the day off, but it would be weird if she worked a day he didn't. Either way, she left and made her way to her locker, where she changed into her scrubs and put her stuff away. She took her clipboard and began down the list of patients who needed to be taken care of.

All day, Leela did not see Carlisle. She was a little upset as they had so much fun yesterday and worked well together. By the time she finished her list, it was time for her to leave. She stopped by Carlisle's office one last time and knocked. No answer. Confused, Leela just strode off to the locker room and told herself he probably had the day off.

Carlisle heard a knock towards the end of the day. At this point he was sprawled out on his couch, shoes, tie, belt, and shirt off. The lights were still off so it made everyone think he was not there. He wanted to answer Leela, but he couldn't bear to be with her and he was scared he would confess his love for her and freak her out. Not only did he not want to freak her out about his love for her, but he definitely did not want to spill his family secret of being vampires.

Leela entered the locker room and changed out of scrubs and into her regular clothes. As she finished packing the last of her things, the hospital chief walked in.

"You're Leela right?" He asked. "I'm Doctor Brighton. Chief of the hospital."

"Hi yes. Leela Hunt." Leela introduced herself to him. She was slightly freaked out because he held a high position.

"I was wondering if you have seen Doctor Cullen today?" He asked her.

Confused Leela answered, "No I haven't. I just figured it was his day off."

"Well normally when he wants a day off he simply asks, and I let him because he works here basically 24/7. But I got no call or text. No email, nothing." Dr. Brighton spoke.

Leela frowned. Carlisle was always professional, mature, and attentive. For him to not send any information out was not like him.

"Well let me know if you hear from him." Dr. Brighton said before leaving as he had been paged.

Leela nodded her response and walked out the locker room. She headed to her car and got in. Driving home, Carlisle was all she could think of.

When she arrived home, Leela sat on her bed and decided to send Carlisle a text. After all, it was the only thing she could really do.

" **Hey it's Leela. Just wondering what's going on? Are you ok? You didn't show up to work, why?"**

She sent the text and went to her kitchen to make her dinner. As her hand healed, she decided not to use the stove. She could barely handle it with two hands, so only one was not the brightest idea. She microwaved her favorite, a little bowl of mac n' cheese, and sat on her couch to eat while she watched Kitchen Nightmares. When Leela finished with her dinner and show, she put her dish in the dishwasher and went to bed.

Carlisle's head shot up when he received Leela's message. He read the text and sighed. He didn't bother to reply, he was too upset. He knew he was being a little childish, maybe petty, but he couldn't help the fact that he was in love with her and she was not. He didn't know if she would ever fall in love with him. Eventually, he rolled himself off the couch and went to his book shelf and started to read one of the many anatomy books he had on the shelf.

-Time Skip-

In the morning, Leela woke up and checked her email, class wasn't cancelled so far. She did her usual morning routine which consisted of a shower, clothes for the day, light make up, hair styling, and breakfast. When she was walking out her apartment door, she checked her email again to make sure class was not cancelled. Not yet.

She arrived at the hospital and received her clipboard from Helen before sauntering off to Carlisle's office. She knocked on his door and frowned. No answer for the second day in a row. She thought maybe he was out ill and just forgot to call out of work. However, is "personal reasons" suppose to mean he's sick? Maybe today was truly a day off. If she saw Dr. Brighton, she definitely would ask him.

Leela left and got changed in her scrubs before the normal daily routine of taking care of patients. Every chance she had, she would check her phone to make sure class wasn't cancelled. Class was not cancelled. This reassured her that Carlisle was most likely off today and that he was just resting and making a lesson plan for tonight's class.

However, Carlisle was not making a lesson plan. He was lying on his office couch, weak and starved. He hadn't hunted in 3 days, but he was not motivated to go on in life if Leela wasn't going to be a part of it. His eyes had turned an empty black and dark circles appeared under them. His cheeks were hollow, and his body looked fragile. If it weren't for the fact that it was Carlisle Cullen that we're describing, he would look like something straight out of a horror movie.

When the day ended, Leela didn't bother stopping by Carlisle's office door. She thought she's going to see him tonight, so she wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Arriving home, she changed clothes and freshened up a bit. She had to stop herself from going further. After all, this was her work colleague and professor, not her lover. She packed her book bag and watched tv until it was time for her to go to class.

At 7:00pm sharp, Leela entered the classroom only to have her hopes shattered. Dr. Cullen was not up front getting ready to lecture. He had ordered a substitute to teach the class today. With a frown and a heavy heart, Leela sat in her seat and prepared for class to begin.

As class continued, all Leela could think of was Dr. Cullen, his honey eyes, and his dazzling white smile he always gave her. She shook her head, trying to get him out of her mind. Was she falling for him? Why? There was nothing special about herself. Why would he fall in love with her? Why should he give her a chance? Leela forced herself to try and pay attention to the substitute, but she gave up, packed her things, and left class early.

In the comfort of her home, Leela sat on her bed and sighed. She checked her messages, no text back from Carlisle. She decided to try one more time.

" **Hey it's Leela again. Just wanted to make sure you're okay. Know that if you need anything just text me."** She sent the text and waited for Carlisle to reply.

With great effort, Carlisle got up from his couch and grabbed his phone. Dazy, confused, and plane insane from starvation he texted her back.

" **I'm not ok. I'm completely in love with you! But I can't tell you because I'm worried I'll freak you out or scare you because we've only known each other for a couple of months and that's not a long time. So, I can't tell you I love you."** Carlisle sent the text and collapsed on the floor weak. He knew he couldn't die, but he wished he could in that moment.

Leela perked up as her phone screen lit up from a text. It was Carlisle! She smiled and opened it only to scream in shock.


	6. Chapter 6: A Little Happiness

**Chapter 6: A Little Happiness**

Previously…

 _Leela perked up as her phone screen lit up from a text. It was Carlisle! She smiled and opened it only to scream in shock._

Present

'Who does he think he is?! What does this mean?! He loves me?! Do I love him?! What's going on?!' was all Leela could think. Instinctively she dialed her mother's number. She was so overwhelmed with emotions that she was bawling her eyes out.

"Leela. Hey, it's kind of late. What's up honey?" Her mother answered.

"MOM! Carlisle just sent me a text saying he loves me, but he couldn't tell me, and I don't know if he's drunk or what's going on! I don't know how I feel! WHAT DO I DO?!" Leela basically screamed into the phone as tears streamed down her face.

"Oh Honey! It's going to be alright."

"HOW CAN THIS BE ALRIGHT?!"

"Stop screaming. You're hurting my ear. Now, he may be drunk, he may not be. All we know is that he loves you. So, what you need to figure out is how you feel about him. OK? It won't be easy, don't expect it to be. But I know, with time, you can figure this out. You're a big girl. I'm gonna go to bed now sweetheart. If you can, come to the house at 9:00 in the morning for some breakfast ok?"

"Ok. I'll see you at 9. Good night Mom." Leela sniffled.

"Goodnight hon. Love you!" With that her mother hung up. It was now up to Leela to figure out how she felt, but to be honest, she had no idea how she felt.

Leela did not go to bed that night. She stayed up, trying to figure out her feelings, but in the end, she just couldn't begin to understand her emotions. She liked Carlisle, but she didn't know if it was in the romantic way or friendship way. Then there were the questions on why in the world Carlisle would love her. Leela thought that there was nothing special about her. She grew up in a small town and was the only child. The only thing big in her life was when she became a nurse. So why did he pick her as his love interest?

Eventually, Leela fell asleep and was awaken by the loud alarm that she had set at 8 am. She quickly got through her usual morning routine, skipping breakfast, and headed to her mother's for breakfast.

When she arrived, she walked in and found her mother in the kitchen. Leela set her things down on one of the dining chairs and smiled.

"Hi mom." Leela chirped.

"Oh, hi honey. I didn't hear you come in. How are you? Are you ok?" Her mother asked with a sweet smile, but slight concern written in her face.

"I'm ok. Just a little shaken, I guess. It was just so unexpected, and I don't know what to think." Leela sighed.

"It's ok honey. You don't need to decide straight away, what you think or are going to do." Leela's mother confided.

"I know. It's just that all of this is really stressing me out. I have millions of questions just bombarding my mind." Leela huffed.

"Well let's have breakfast and maybe we can figure some things out." Her mother acknowledged.

-Time Skip-

After breakfast and talking for literally hours with her mother, Leela felt a lot better and understood what she needed to do and how she felt. By the time Leela got back to her own home, it was 2 pm.

Leela thought for a while, sitting on her couch. She looked out her back-room windows and saw the cute little yard she had with the white fence surrounding it. That's when an idea hit her. It definitely would get her mind off things and cheer her up.

Immediately, she got up from the couch and grabbed her keys, wallet, and phone. Getting into her car, she drove all the way to Seattle and stopped in front of a pet store.

Leela walked in and looked around. On the outer walls were built in windowed crates that showed off cute puppies. In the middle were little play areas as well as the normal pet supplies.

She grabbed a cart and rolled it towards the outer walls. She looked up and down until she found the breed she was looking for. In the crate, was a small 7-week-old Pembroke Red and White Corgi.

Smiling with excitement, Leela caught the attention of one of the workers.

"Yes, how can I help?" The girl had a monotone voice.

"I was wondering about how much he is?" Leela asked as she pointed to the small Corgi. The tag on the window said his gender- male, and his age, but no price.

"Let me go check for you." The girl said unenthusiastically.

"Thank you! If he isn't too much, I would like to adopt him." Leela informed the worker.

"Mommy! Look! I want this puppy!" A little girl ran up next to Leela and pointed at the Corgi.

"You want that one? Ok. Let me ask someone to help." The mother answered.

Leela looked at the little girl, then back at the Corgi. Someone was going to go home crying and it wasn't going to be Leela.

"The Corgi is going to be $1000." The worker came back.

"Oh, that's a bit high but still under budget. Perfect! Can we get it please?!" The mother with the little girl chirped.

"Uh sorry ma'am. I wasn't talking to you." The worker said. "She got him first." The worker pointed to Leela.

$1000 was a bit high, but lucky for Leela, she had planned on getting a puppy that was supposed to be way more expensive. So, $1000 for the Corgi was nothing she couldn't handle.

"What?" The lady turned and looked at Leela. Leela awkwardly stood there.

"I'll take him." Leela spoke up to the worker. The worker nodded and walked away to go grab the papers and the puppy.

"Mommy I want the puppy!" The little girl screamed.

"Honey the puppy is taken. What about a different puppy?" The mother told the child.

"No! I want him! Please Mommy!" The girl started to cry.

"Is there some way I can pay you for the dog?" The lady asked Leela.

"Uh, Loaf isn't for sale." Leela told her with as much of a confident face she could muster. Internally, she was freaking out because she almost lost the perfect dog.

"Come on honey. Choose a different puppy or no puppy at all." The mother told the child as she dragged her away.

Leela let out a breath of relief and turned to watch the worker take Loaf out and come back.

"Here you go. You can fill out the forms when you pay at the register." The worker handed the dog to Leela and left to help someone else.

Unfortunately, Leela could smell that they had not bathed her baby in a while. Not a problem anymore. Loaf was going to a better home.

Leela held the puppy in one hand while pushing the cart with the other. The two walked up and down the aisles, picking out a bed, toys, blankets, dog food, a collar, a leash, and other essentials.

By the time, Leela was finished, she was extremely exhausted. Unlocking her front door, she and Loaf walked into the apartment. She quickly headed to the backyard to let Loaf out while she got the rest of the things out of her car.

The dog bed was set in her room while the toy basket was set in the living room. The food and water bowl were set in the kitchen. Loaf strolled in after being outside and bumped Leela, who was smiling at him.

"You know, I don't want to be dramatic or anything, but I almost lost you today." Leela laughed as Loaf gave a goofy smile. She picked him up and stood to walk to her bathroom. There, she placed the corgi into the tub where she started to run the water. Instead of being scared, like Leela thought he would be, Loaf started to bark at the stream of water before trying to bite the water. Leela couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok ok! Hush baby! It's just water. No barking. No!" Leela commanded the little puppy. As if he understood, Loaf stopped barking and attacking the water. Leela turned the water off once it was high enough before she started splashing water onto the pup. She soaped him up, using some dog shampoo she bought when she got him.

After drying him off, she wrapped him in a warm blanket and got back into her car with him to drive to her mother's house.

"Mom I have a surprise! Close your eyes!" Leela yelled into the house as she shielded the dog with her body.

"Oh, Hi hon! Ok my eyes are closed!" Her mother smiled. Leela stepped into the house and turned to present the puppy.

"Open!" Leela instructed.

"Oh my gosh hello little one!" Her mother smiled and took the puppy from Leela's arms. Loaf smiled, but looked at Leela, his ears flopping as he turned.

"I got him today." Leela explained.

"Oh my goodness! He is perfect for you Leela! Hi cutie, look how cute you are!" Leela's mother continued to cuddle Loaf until the excitement had died down a little.

"This is such a nice surprise. But how are you going to take care of this little guy if you're so busy?" Her mother started. Leela had to restrain from rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry mom. I have plenty of time to train him and plenty of money to take care of him!" Leela smiled.

"Ok well. Call me if you need anything. What's his name?"

"Loaf." Leela laughed.

"Loaf? Like bread?" Her mother gave a questionable look.

"Yes!" Leela laughed again. "When they get older, sometimes they lay down in a way where it makes them look like a loaf of bread." She explained and brought up a picture on her phone to show her mother.

"Ha! That's hilarious and super cute. Ok I approve." Her mother laughed.

"Ok. Well me and the mister must be getting home. I've got homework and chores tomorrow." Leela picked up Loaf, who had been wandering around while she and her mother were talking.

"Ok sweetie. It was good to see you. Maybe tomorrow, dinner huh?" Her mother smiled.

"Definitely!" Leela smiled and began towards the front door. She let Loaf do his business in the yard before putting him in the car.

Leela drove home and plopped into bed the moment she got inside her apartment. She cuddled Loaf before placing him on his bed and letting him get used to it. She stroked his head as he started to fall asleep. The moment he fell asleep, Leela herself, got into her pj's and went to bed. It was early, but she had had a busy day.


	7. Chapter 7: Is That Why You're a Doctor?

**Chapter 7**

In the morning, the first thing Leela did was let Loaf outside in the yard to do his business. He was a smart dog and quick learner. So far, they were one day down on no accidents. As he explored outside, Leela filled his food bowl and water bowl before letting him back inside.

Loaf strutted over to his food and started to eat while Leela popped two slices of bread in the toaster. She looked at her burned hand and analyzed it. It had healed nicely within the last couple of weeks. It was now usable without pain but had some nasty scarring which made Leela a little self-conscious.

She ate her toast with some butter before she went back into her room, Loaf following quickly after her with his goofy smile and stubby feet.

She sat on her bed and stared at her phone. It had been a while since she had any contact with Dr. Cullen. She wondered where he was because he hadn't recently been to work or to class. Leela had almost forgotten him completely now that she had Loaf. Maybe she should text him or call? Hopefully, he was alright.

Counting to three, Leela picked her phone up and took a deep shaky breath. She unlocked her phone screen and started to search her contacts before there was a knock on her door. Loaf immediately started to bark.

"Loaf no! Hush!" Leela scolded her puppy and picked him up. He started to whimper, but at least he wasn't barking anymore.

Leela was not expecting anybody over, so she was skeptical. Peering through the peephole, she saw 3 boys and two girls. She had never seen either of them before. There was only one reason why she opened the door. They had topaz eyes.

"Hello?" Leela looked at the 5 teenagers in front of her.

"Hi. I'm Edward. This is Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice. Are you Leela?" The handsome young man asked.

"Yes. How do you know me? Who are you?" She asked with a cautious tone.

"We're Carlisle's kids. We haven't seen him in a few days and were wondering if you knew where he was?" The boy who had introduced himself as Edward explained. Leela looked at the kids. Did they just say that they were Carlisle's kids? Carlisle has kids? Since when? He must've told her at some point and she just didn't pay attention at that moment.

"Well um… I got a text from him the other day." Leela shrugged, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"Wait he didn't tell his own kids where he is?" She asked the five.

"Well he does, normally, but he didn't which is why we need your help. We think something might have happened. He told us that if anything were to happen, we should get someone he knows to help us." Rosalie spoke.

"OK well. Um, give me a minute. Come in, help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. I'm going to change." Leela let the kids file into her apartment before she went back to her bedroom to change. She set Loaf down on his bed before she changed into some jeans, a sweater and some Timberland boots. Grabbing her coat, she left her bedroom and gave Loaf a treat before following the 5 kids out the door.

"Ok, we know Carlisle hasn't been to the hospital or the college in 3-ish days. So, what does that leave us with?" Leela asked.

"Nothing except maybe the woods or home." Emmett answered.

"And we know he's not there because we checked all over those places." Alice added.

"Alright then the only thing we can do is retrace his steps." Leela stated. "You last saw him when he was going to work right?"

"Right!" Rosalie answered.

"That's where I last saw him. To the hospital!" Leela smiled.

"Leela choose. Emmett or my car?" Edward asked. Leela looked around, there was a Volvo and a Jeep.

"I call shotgun in the Jeep." Leela grinned and ran over.

Quickly, all of them filed into cars and drove off towards the hospital. When they arrived, they were greeted by the Chief of the Hospital.

"Hello Dr. Brighton." Leela smiled in passing.

"Hello Leela. Wait what are you doing here? Don't you work tomorrow?" He asked her.

"Uh yeah. I'm just….." Leela didn't know what to say.

"She's helping us with a school project." Jasper interrupted.

"Oh. Well you know where everything is." Dr. Brighton smiled as he ran off after being paged.

The five headed to Carlisle's office. The lights were still off and the door was still locked. All five of the kids huddle up to the door with Leela. Leela knocked but there was no answer.

"Maybe there is something in his office that will tell us where he is?" Leela suggested. "But I don't have a key."

The five kids could smell Carlisle in there, but for whatever reason he holed himself up in here for, was beyond them. Carlisle had lived long enough with Edward and Jasper to shield his thoughts and feelings from their powers. When his kids came to find him earlier without Leela, they could smell that he was in there. In fact, they talked to him, but Carlisle had told them to get Leela.

Edward pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. Carlisle was on the floor, eyes black as night, his hair tasseled, his shirt off with his arms crossed over his chest and shoes off.

"Oh my gosh! You look like a mess!" Leela ran over to his side. "Are you ok?! What happened? Are you sick?" A million questions went through her mind. Edward and Emmett picked Carlisle off the floor and he gave a soft groan.

The moment Carlisle saw Leela with his children, it gave him a little bit of an extra boost of energy. She just had a profound affect on him. He knew she was his mate, but it was going to be a lot of work to make her his and just seeing her gave him the energy to get back up and try.

"I'm sorry Leela." Carlisle managed to get out. "I didn't mean to freak you out. The moment I sent that text I knew I botched any relationship we had. Especially, our friendship."

"Carlisle! That's doesn't matter! What matters is your health!" Leela spoke quickly and exasperated.

"But it does! You don't understand!" Carlisle groaned.

"I do! I get it! You love me! There is nothing else you can tell me that's more important." Leela told him. "I like you too! But we'll discuss this later! Right now, you look like a mess!"

Leela helped Edward and Emmett practically dragged him out to the car.

"Ok! Now what?!" Leela asked the kids.

"Well now we just have to get him home. Thank you for your help." Alice told Leela. Leela nodded, she was a little too stressed to talk or to think. She was too stressed to realize he should probably stay at the hospital and get food and hydration into his body.

Before Leela could wrap her head around what was going on, The Cullen's whipped out of the parking lot and to their home. Out of breath and quite mortified of the situation, all Leela could do was go home and wait for good news from someone. She sent Carlisle's phone a text asking to keep her updated, considering she did not go with them.

When her nerves have calmed down, she hopped onto the public bus and went home. Later that day she received a text from Edward.

" **Hey Leela. It's Edward. Carlisle is doing much better, he won't stop complaining about ruining his relationship with you so I'm sure he has enough energy if you want to visit."**

Leela couldn't help but chuckle at Edward's text. Nonetheless, she answered asking for the address. The moment Edward sent it, Leela hopped into her car and drove over. She was confused as she headed towards the city limit, but she kept following her GPS.

When she arrived, she couldn't help but marvel at the site before her. It was an extremely large and modern house, surrounded by thick woods. It was gorgeous. She parked in the driveway and got out of her car. The front door opened to reveal Edward and his sister Alice.

"Hello! How's Carlisle?" Leela immediately asked, slightly worried that he might be too tired to talk.

"Oh he is just fine. Come this way. He's in his study." Edward stepped aside so that Leela could walk in. She followed the two closely, not wanting to get lost. Alice talked the entire way there, which Leela would soon learn as a common thing.

"This is his study." Edward knocked on the door and he and Alice left Leela to stand there awkwardly.

Carlisle could smell Leela from down the hall, and opened the door shortly after Edward knocked.

"Hello." Carlisle smiled shyly, not knowing how Leela would react. Leela couldn't fathom what she was seeing. Carlisle looked completely fine, like he wasn't just a mess on his hospital office floor.

"Carlisle!" Leela gasped. "You- You're….. You look…. Oh my gosh!" She spluttered through her words, not knowing what to say. Her mind couldn't register how he looked so healthy and normal.

Carlisle chuckled. "Come in. I'll explain." Leela nodded and slowly made her way, looking around the study, but she kept going back to Carlisle's health.

"How do you look completely fine?! No that sounded rude. How are you healthy? I saw you! You were weak, you looked hollow, you were emaciated!" Leela couldn't understand. Other's would tell her that the nursing part of her was getting the best of her.

"Yes well, If I answer your questions, will you promise not to freak out, or laugh, or faint?" Carlisle asked. Leela could see the nervousness radiate off him.

"Yes of course." Leela answered confidently, trying to ease Carlisle's nerves.

"Ok. Then please, take a seat." Carlisle gestured to the love seat next to Leela. She did as she was told and sat. He sat next to her and looked at her very seriously before sighing.

"Leela, my family and I, we're very different." Carlisle started. "We can't go into sunlight, we don't eat or breathe-."

"Wait you don't breathe? You're literally breathing now." Leela interrupted.

"It's just for show. We're not human. We used to be, but not anymore." Carlisle continued.

"That doesn't make sense. If you're not breathing, you would be suffocating or dead." Leela stated flatly, she was beyond confused.

Carlisle chuckled. "I should've started this conversation with 'don't put a nurse's perspective into this'."

Leela gave and even more confused look.

"Anyways, I'm a Vampire and so is the rest of my family." Carlisle quickly spoke out. Leela was silent for a few minutes, connecting what she could in her mind. She reached out, and poked Carlisle in the face before retracting her hand and continuing to sit quietly thinking.

"Say something." Carlisle insisted. Leela did not. Instead she was piecing together, how it could be possible to be a Vampire in such a modern world.

"Leela. Are you even with me?" Carlisle waved a hand in front of her face. Nothing. No answer.

After 10 minutes had passed, Leela drew in a deep breath.

"Is that why you work as a Doctor in the hospital?" Leela asked as her final thought.

"What? Please elaborate." Carlisle went along with her thought process.

"You don't breathe, you're pale and cold. I believe you aren't human. I believe you're a Vampire. But is that why you work at the hospital? To get blood to drink?" Leela asked again.

"No. My family and I are 'vegetarian' Vampires. We only drink animal blood. So when we say we're going hunting, we are going to find food and eat. It's also why our eyes are this honey, butterscotch color. If we drank human blood, we'd have red eyes." Carlisle answered.

"Then why are you a Doctor? Why do you work at a hospital?" Leela pushed.

"I tell you I am a Vampire and you're going after my credentials? No 'Are you going to drink my blood?' or 'Do you know Count Dracula?'? Seriously?" Carlisle looked at her bewildered.

"Answer my questions blood boy." Leela gave him a look. Carlisle rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Before I was turned, I always wanted to be a Doctor. I always wanted to help people. When I was turned, I thought my life was over. But then I learned that I could survive off animal blood, and then came my kids, who I taught to drink animal blood and survive." Carlisle smiled.

"How did you get your kids?" Leela asked calmly. Even with this new information, she never exerted any distress.

"All of them over the passed hundreds of years were ill at some point. Edward was dying of the Spanish flu. Emmett was mauled by a bear. Ecetera." Carlisle gave a face that set everything in place.

"OK. Cool. And how do I play into this insane new information?" Leela asked. "Why tell me? Does it have to do with the fact that you said you loved me?"

"Yes. Leela, as a Vampire, your smell is increased. To find a mate, your mate's blood will smell very strongly and be very appealing." Carlisle didn't exactly know how to tell Leela that she was his mate. He already told her so much.

"I'm your mate." Leela stated.

"Yes." Carlisle simply nodded.

"OK well if this thing, whatever we have, if it is going to work, you gotta continue to fake breathing cuz you're as still as a rock and it's freaking me out." Leela laughed. Carlisle couldn't help but laugh with her.

"Ok one more thing." Carlisle chuckled.

"There's more?!" Leela faked being annoyed.

"Sometimes Vampires get special powers. So, Edward can read minds, Jasper can manipulate emotions, Alice can see to a certain point into the future, Emmett has strength, Rosalie has extreme beauty, and sometimes you don't get powers. But I have compassion." Carlisle smiled.

"Well I have heard it all ladies and gentlemen!" Leela laughed. "So, I gotta shield my thought. Big deal. One thing for sure though, I don't want to go in public with our whatever we have, until after I finish your class."

"OK. It's all up to you." Carlisle says. "I can wait."

"Please come back to teach though. I swear if I get one more stupid substitute, I'll be knocking hard on your house door screaming my head off." Leela joked.

"I'll teach class tomorrow." Carlisle told her.

"Good." Leela smiled. There was a knock on the door and the kids walked in.

"So how did it go?" Alice asked, giggling with excitement.

"I think it went well. She didn't faint." Carlisle shrugged.

"Ha! You owe me twenty bucks Emmett!" Edward yelled towards his brother.

"You bet on how well she would take it?!" Carlisle was not happy.

"Wow rude. If anything, I think I should get that twenty bucks. Just saying." Leela joked.

"Give her the twenty bucks." Carlisle scolded his children. Apparently, the girls bet too.

"No keep your money you crazy kids." Leela rolled her eyes. "I think, I should be going. It's getting late and I've got a pup at home who needs to be let out."

"Awww OK. But when you come back, we'll definitely show you everything!" Alice jumped.

"Sounds like a plan." Leela smiled. Carlisle and Leela stood from the couch and after passing all the kids, Carlisle walked with her all the way to her car and even opened her door.

"Have a good night Leela." Carlisle smiled.

"Goodnight Doctor Cullen. I'll see you tomorrow in class." Leela winked and laughed. This caused Carlisle to chuckle as he closed her door and watched her drive away.


End file.
